$5.2 million distributed to local partners for wastewater plant improvements

$5.2 million distributed to local partners for wastewater plant improvements

PALATKA, Fla., Nov. 18, 2008 — The St. Johns River Water Management District’s Governing Board voted Nov. 11 to disburse $5.2 million in legislative funds to local government utility partners in northeast Florida for wastewater treatment plant upgrades in the Lower St. Johns River Basin.

The funds, allocated by the Florida Legislature in its 2008 session, will be distributed for projects that will help Jacksonville, Jacksonville Beach, Neptune Beach and Atlantic Beach reduce the amount of nutrients reaching the river to a level lower than required by new state water quality standards for the St. Johns River.

Projects to receive funding include:

• JEA is upgrading its Arlington East wastewater treatment plant to advanced wastewater treatment standards. The project will eliminate 602,000 pounds of nitrogen discharged to the river each year and develop 6 million gallons per day (mgd) of reclaimed water by 2011.
   
• The city of Jacksonville Beach will upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to advanced wastewater treatment standards, which will prevent 65,000 pounds of nitrogen from reaching the river each year and develop 4.5 mgd of reclaimed water by 2012.
   
• The cities of Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach are collaborating on an evaluation to determine how to most cost-effectively treat their wastewater. Their project(s) will ultimately treat 3.5 mgd of wastewater, removing 86,737 pounds of nitrogen and developing 0.4 mgd of reuse by 2013.

The District also is partnering with local governments and utilities on more than 20 other projects, costing approximately $100 million, to divert treated wastewater discharges from the river to improve the river’s health and to make reclaimed water available, which in turn expands freshwater supplies for other higher-quality needs.